6 Basil Varieties & What You Should Know About Them
Few things compare to the fresh smell and flavor of basil pesto. Throw some basil leaves and pine nuts (or even less expensive almonds) in a blender with some olive oil, lemon, and salt, and you create a fragrant, herbaceous spread you can put on most anything. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!…
12 Permaculture Principles to Use When Planning Your Herb Garden
Permaculture is not just a way of growing things. It is a movement — a way of life. Permaculture has its origins across many cultures, spanning the history of humanity. In the 1970s Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren defined and organized it into what we now know by the term “permaculture,” which means “permanent…
Thoughts On Celebrating Earth Day As An Herbalist
April is one of our most exciting months of the year as two of our favorite holidays occur this month — Herbalist Day on the 17th, and Earth Day on the 22nd. The month of April is a fantastic time for an Earth Day celebration as it marks the beginning of the growing seasons (here…
How To Harvest Bark From Trees and Shrubs Correctly
If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to harvest bark from trees or shrubs, you’re not alone. Bark is commonly used in herbal preparations, but the idea of harvesting barks can be rather confusing. How exactly does one go about harvesting barks from trees or shrubs in an ethical and sustainable manner? In the article…
How To Identify & Wildcraft Plants Outside Your Front Door
As the sun spends more time in the sky and the weather begins to warm, fresh green shoots emerge from the earth, buds form on tree branches, and blossoms burst forth in an array of vivid color. Spring has arrived, and with it, an abundance of nourishing plants that are useful to the earth as…
Herbalism: A History – How Herbalists Of The Past Paved The Way For Today
Have you ever wondered how modern-day herbalism came to be? Before the dawn of Instagram herbalism or online herbal education (like the Herbal Academy!), the roots of herbalism run quite deep. Tracing these roots all the way back to prehistory (the time before writing systems were developed), we find that different cultures around the world…
Herbal Aphrodisiacs: What They Are & How to Use Them
Have you ever heard of eating oysters, birds nest soup, iguana, or the many other bizarre foods that people believe to be arousing? Aphrodisiacs have been long sought after, admired, and rumored for their effects on libido — but do they actually work? An aphrodisiac, named after the Goddess Aphrodite, is a substance that, when…
Free Botanical Thank You Card Downloads!
Happy Herbalist Day, friends and community! Today we are putting together a complete list of free botanical thank you cards, herbalist day cards, botanical banners, herbal gift cards, plant-illustrated wrapping paper, and more to equip you with all the intentional gift giving resources you need to celebrate the friends, mentors, and loved ones in your…
6 Steps To Revitalize Your Health With Herbs This Spring
With new plant life beginning to stir in the ground from their winter slumber, poking their heads up from the earth, so it is with our energy and inner vitality. As the earth’s energy is rising, naturally, so does our own. Or so it should. For some of us, emerging from our winter hibernation and…
Nourishing the Blood: TCM and Ayurvedic Perspectives
Blood isn’t just platelets and plasma; it is our vitality. Blood carries the story of our ancestry. It is essential, and it is everywhere! Both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda share a recognition that blood operates within the larger and deeper context of our being. Both these ancient systems know that blood is vital and…
